Buenos Aires is the first Latin American city with 100% LED street lighting.
The replacement process began in 2013. This technology saves 50% of the energy consumption.
After a replacement process that began in 2013, Buenos Aires became the first metropolis in Latin America to use LED lights in 100% of the street lighting.
According to official data, this technology allows reducing electricity consumption by 50%; that is about 85,000 KW per year (the average annual consumption of 25,300 households). In addition, this energy saving also helped reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) to 44,000 tons per year.
In 2013, when the replacement program for old sodium lights began, Buenos Aires had 125,000 street lightings. However, the Ministry of Environment and Public Space estimates that there will be 165,000 street lightings working by the end of this year. It was necessary to improve the infrastructure (supply sources, columns and lights) to incorporate these 40,000 LED (light-emitting diode) lights in six years. This grew by 25% since 2016.
78,000 LED lights were installed in streets, 34,000 in avenues, another 34,000 in pedestrians and 14,000 in green spaces; 160,000 LED lights that work correctly. They have a lifespan of more than 100,000 hours. A figure much higher than 30,000 hours of sodium lights
On the other hand, improvements in lighting also optimized the visibility of security cameras since white light favors facial recognition and the correct perception of colors.
Technically, LEDs are diodes (an electronic component of two terminals that allows the circulation of electric current) that transform electrical current into light. They were created in the 60s but were first marketed for the first time in 1996 as luminous devices. The evolution of its performance has been spectacular (from 5 lm/W in its beginnings to 150 lm/W today).
“The LED technology and its smart street light controller allow us to monitor all the lights of the city in real time. This helps to provide a more efficient service and make public spaces a safer place for residents,” explained Eduardo Machiavelli, the Minister of Environment and Public Space.
